# Q for bakers: Regular cocoa powder vs. Dutch process cocoa powder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 11, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629 "2025-12-11T23:52:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/1 "2025-12-11T23:52:02Z")
Why would you choose one over the other? Or, if they each are better than the other some times, what kind of dishes are better with A or with B? Personally, I’ve only ever bought regular, for the excellent (non-)reason that that is what my mother used. And I missing out on something wonderful? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/2 "2025-12-12T00:54:47Z")
Your recipe will tell you. It’s a matter using one or the other. Baking soda, you use natural cocoa. Baking powder, dutched. It’s an acid thing. The flavors are different. I can’t tell it. If you’re making a beverage either will work. My opinion, you’re not missing out on much. The difference in taste is subjective. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/3 "2025-12-16T03:13:47Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > The flavors are different. I can’t tell it. Sooo…. I heard somewhere that a difference that makes no difference IS no difference. Well, I’ve survived all these decades without Dutched cocoa, so I think I’ll just continue to ignore its existence. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/4 "2025-12-16T03:47:27Z")
Is this like recipes that list kosher salt as one of the ingredients (NYT, I’m looking at you). Oh BTW, there are two brands of kosher salt, and it matters which one you use. Washington Post recipes started using just plain “salt”, like the table salt in your salt shaker. Their rationale is they can’t really tell the difference in the end results, and using kosher salt is just unnecessarily confusing. I also was wondering if I could “regular” cocoa, or do I need dutch cocoa. Looks like I can survive with just one type in my cupboard. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/5 "2025-12-16T04:54:33Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Is this like recipes that list kosher salt as one of the ingredients (NYT, I’m looking at you) Kosher salt has a different size grain than regular granulated salt, so a teaspoon of one is a different amount than a teaspoon of the other. In the reader comments of the NYT recipes, people are always saying they used the wrong one and it was too salty. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-for-bakers-regular-cocoa-powder-vs-dutch-process-cocoa-powder/1025629/6 "2025-12-16T18:58:23Z")
Yes, table salt is denser than other types of salt. Here’s an [article with a comparison table](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/salt-conversion-chart) - a given volume of table salt is nearly twice the weight as Diamond kosher salt, so it absolutely does make a difference which you use, especially in baking.